FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi guys,

I'm kinda new to the forum and i was wondering about T8 light setup for my plants without putting them too much outside because too less sun!

So here's the thing:
I live in an appartment in Belgium at the coast so its quite windy and sometimes pretty cold and lack of direct sunlight most days

Its pretty cold even during spring -2•c till
I wanna place a few venus flytaps( when the time is right) and the light setup is good to keep them under the light except for their dormacy period

How much wattage do i need in TL LIGHTS (t8) and i am gonna use cool white
So i have read on this forum you need lights in the 6500k range for growing
But here its pretty hard to order online for me and to find decent growing lights for pro gardeners and botanists
What to do and what to try

Every help is welcome !!!!

Sorry for the miss spelling in the subject

I went to a local DIY store (do it yourself shop).
To take a look on lightbulbs and TL lights and this is what i found but i didn't buy it before someone tells me if i can use this to grow 3-4 venus flytraps underneath

I need to tell you the venus flytraps wont be able to stand in direct sunlight except for the days that i,m at home.

So
Those with the highest wattage and lumens in 6400k range lights that i found are about 1.5meter and that is way too long to place in a socket on my Addic
So thats kinda out of the question
Then i found this here
So now i dont know if this will be enough if i place this close to the plants with the lights above the pots 5-10 cm distance!!!

There are 2 lights i allready have

2x8 watt
4000k
420lummen
I dont know if i can use these

So i hope someone helps me out if i want to do this good.
And can grow good healthy VFT's

Thanks

The pictured bulbs are the wrong color. I would hate for you to spend money on something that may not do what you need it to do. You could check Amazon.com for Global shipping items, although the shipping cost could be pretty high.

Here is a direct link:

http://www.amazon.com/International-Shi ... tastore-20

Hi Z-lives,

Yes, 4200 K isn't a good spectrum for plants by itself. You need at least 5000 K and ideally 6500 K.

I think my 4 ft (1.2 m) T8 bulbs are 32W but you can focus more on the lumen output than wattage. The higher the lumens, the better. Mine are around 2700 each (they are GE brand). 4 ft bulbs and fixtures are usually easier to find and cheaper than the shorter ones but they are made in shorter lengths as well.

The farther the plants are from the light, the longer you have to leave the lights on so you want to keep the light as close as you can, anywhere from about 12 - 45cm. The distance vs time is not linear. E.G. at 12 cm you might only need them on for 8 hrs a day where at 45 you'd probably be looking at 15-18 hrs (actual time will depend on the intensity of your light source). Remember, any light not hitting your plants is wasted energy. Fluorescent bulbs don't generate much heat, but be careful not to get your plants too close where they get too hot or dry out too quickly.

Good luck!